Niall James Horan (/ˈnaɪəl ˈhɔːrən/ NY-uhl HOR-ruhn;[1][2] born 13 September 1993) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 on the singing competition The X Factor. The group released five albums and went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
Following the band's hiatus in 2016, Horan signed a recording deal as a solo artist with Capitol Records and has since released three albums: Flicker (2017), Heartbreak Weather (2020) and The Show (2023). Flicker debuted at number one in Ireland and the US and reached the top three in Australia and the UK. The album's first two singles, "This Town" and "Slow Hands", reached the top twenty in several countries. Heartbreak Weather was released in March 2020, and debuted at number one in the UK, Ireland and Mexico, and at number four in the US.
Horan's third studio album, titled The Show, was released in June 2023. It was preceded by the singles "Heaven" and "Meltdown", which were released in February and April 2023, respectively.
He and his One Direction band members made their musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live on April 7, 2012, the eighteenth episode of Season 37, hosted by Colombian-American actress Sofía Vergara, star of the ABC's hit comedy series Modern Family; which coincidentally, was the first episode for longest-tenured female cast member Kate McKinnon. They performed "What Makes You Beautiful" and "One Thing" and appeared in "The Manuel Ortiz Show".
He and his bandmates of One Direction returned to Saturday Night Live for their 2nd musical guest appearance on December 7, 2013, the eighth episode of Season 39, hosted by actor Paul Rudd. They performed "Story of My Life" and "Through the Dark". They also appeared in the opening monologue and the pre-recorded "One Direction's #1 Fan Dan Charles" sketch.
They returned to Saturday Night Live for their 3rd and final musical guest appearance on December 20, 2014, the tenth episode and Christmas show of Season 40, hosted by actress Amy Adams. They performed "Night Changes" and "Ready to Run" and appear in the "Girlfriends Talk Show" sketch.
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